A Bird in the Hand

A BIRD IN THE HAND is part of an old saying about being satisfied with what you have. In this second Range Detective novel, Warren Wendover's protagonist, private detective, Gabriel Brindle, a retired bull rider (titanium screws holding his hip together), a repossessed wannabe rancher, a water truck driver, escaped from methane well drillers, has finally chosen the life of a private investigator, scratching out a living by guts and guile. His office is a camper trailer parked a few miles out of town on forty acres of bentonite clay with a shallow well, a dead cottonwood tree, cheat grass and Russian thistle. "Who needs an office anyway," he says. "I got a cell phone." Regarding his current career, he says, "Beats honest work, and sometimes even pays as well."This is my second entry into the realm of the modern West detective story. When I was finished with A BIRD IN THE HAND, it left me wondering if I should dismiss my protagonist, Gabriel Brindle, as a hapless clown, or cheer him on as he blunders toward unforeseen success. I tried both ways; and both ways worked for me. Warren Wendover, self-published chairman of the Bilderbeck Creek Poetry Forum."A BIRD IN THE HAND," Warren Wendover's second 'Range Detective' novel, is a welcome addition to modern western detective stories. Wendover is not formulaic. He writes stories which reflect the surprises and vagaries of life. "I'm amazed when I find out what's happening, or going to happen," Wendover says. "And so is my protagonist, Gabe Brindle, who often quotes his late mother: "'If you think you have life figured out, hold onto your hat, bend over and grab your bootstraps. You're in for a surprise!'"Tom Spence, co-author with Gerry Spence of A Boy's Summer. (St. Martin's Press).